Ex-coach Buchanan says Oz needs swing, not spin to beat India

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Last Updated: Wed, Feb 20, 2013 07:55 hrs

Sydney: Former Australia coach, John Buchanan, who led them to their era-defining Test series win against India on their home turf in 2004, has claimed the tourists shouldn't play spinners just for the sake of it, but they should rely on their fast bowlers, who are capable of producing reverse swing, against the hosts.

Buchanan said the fast bowlers' success with reverse swing would likely be their trump-card in the quest for only a second series victory in India in more than 40 years, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Buchanan was head coach almost nine years ago when Adam Gilchrist, standing in for the injured Ricky Ponting, led Australia to an historic 2-1 triumph on the subcontinent, described as the final frontier by the previous captain Steve Waugh.

Michael Clarke's Australian team has five fast-bowlers on tour, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson, James Pattinson and Jackson Bird, and in all likelihood will use three in combination in the first Test at Chennai's Chidambaram Stadium starting on Friday.

Buchanan said the Australian team should be wary of loading up on spin-bowlers (there are four in the squad: Nathan Lyon, Xavier Doherty, all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and young West Australian Ashton Agar) just because it's in India, the paper said.

Buchanan added he thinks it is a good pace attack but it depends how it adapts to the conditions and it's about to face

Buchanan further said you don't take spinners just for the sake of taking a spinner, adding Indian batsmen are so used to playing spin bowling, there is no guarantee they are going to make an impact in a series.